Decisions

We all make decisions every day. Many of them are about run of the mill stuff – what shall we have for tea? What should I wear? What should I do today?

Most of the time these types of decisions don’t have a significant impact on our life. But every now and then there are bigger decisions to be made and sometimes at the time we make them we don’t realise or know just how significant those decisions will be.

I have made a few of those types of decisions in my life time. When I was living in Christchurch I had the opportunity to go to Oamaru for a 21st. My decision to attend that party resulted in me meeting my husband. If I didn’t make the decision to go I don’t know where in the world I might be right now.

I also didn’t realise when we decided to move to Invercargill in 2001 for the first year of the zero fees just how much I would enjoy living here and that 15 years later we would still be here. Two and a half years ago I realised I needed to start doing some exercise because I had become so unhealthy and unfit. I didn’t know then that starting Crossfit would be quite the life changing activity that it has been.
These three decisions have all been life changers for me but at the time of making those decisions I didn’t know how significant they would be.
Being on the council is about making decisions. And these decisions mirror everyday decision making. Sometimes the decisions we make are run of the mill type ones. They are about those fundamental council activities – the everyday stuff that councils are responsible for.

But every now and then there are big decisions to be made – decisions that could be game changers, some that we hope will be game changers and some we don’t realise might be game changers.

The job of the councillors is to make these decisions. And just like in our own lives we can try to predict what the outcome of those decisions will be but we never quite know for sure just how significant some of those decisions will be.